20-Minute Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Loaded with fresh, crunchy veggies, juicy chicken, and a creamy peanut sauce, these Thai-inspired peanut noodles are a meal-in-one that’s ready in 20 minutes flat.

I Always Make Extra Peanut Sauce to Drizzle Over These Noodles!

Fresh and crunchy with loads of slivered fresh veggies, these Thai-inspired peanut chicken noodles can be served for lunch or dinner, or as a (very) hearty side to your favorite Asian dishes.

I originally made this recipe for my mom to serve when she hosted book club many moons ago. Well, I don’t know if you could really call it “book club”, but it seems an apt description when there’s elegant women, good conversation, chilled wine, and tasty eats to share. Oh, and a book to “discuss”, of course.

Knowing my mom wanted to host the book club discussion in her bodaciously blooming backyard, we wanted to make it easy for her friends to eat their meal sans table, and with a drink in their hands.

An all-in-one noodle dish was just the ticket. And this is it!

Enjoy!

The Key Ingredients

The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.

• Noodles — I used linguine, which I always have stocked in my pantry, but fettuccine, thick rice noodles, or another long pasta shape may also be used.
• Cooked chicken — You’re welcome to pick the meat from a rotisserie chicken, or poach, grill, or bake a few chicken breasts.
• Veggies — I used a blend of raw carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and green onion that I julienned using this tool to get the cuts just the right size.
• Peanuts + cilantro — Add so much flavor and texture to the cold noodles. I tossed some of the peanuts and chopped cilantro with the noodles and reserved the rest for sprinkling over top.
• Peanut sauce — The peanut sauce is accented with toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce for a bit of umami. It’s beautifully aromatic with the addition of fresh ginger that’s offset with the spicy heat of chili sauce. My favorite flavor combo.

How to Make Peanut Noodles with Chicken

1. Cook the noodles. Remember that the noodles will continue to soften as they soak up the peanut sauce, so cook them a few minutes shy of what the package instructs. If using linguine or another Italian pasta, you want them to be al dente. If using soba noodles or rice noodles, shave about 1 – 2 minutes from the total cook time.
2. Meanwhile, prep the veggies. To speed up the vegetable prep, I used my trusty julienne peeler to shave all of the veggies into slivers. For more textural contrast, you’re welcome to chop, grate, or dice some or all of the vegetables however you like.

3. Blend the dressing. Peanut butter-based dressings are notoriously difficult to whisk together, no matter how much upper body strength you have. Save yourself the wrist pain and dump the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

4. Toss it all together. Add everything to a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over top, and toss to combine. I like to garnish my saucy peanut noodles with chopped peanuts and cilantro, but a squeeze of lime would be good too.

Heidi’s Tip: If you like your peanut chicken noodles extra saucy, 1.5 times the amount of dressing so you can serve the extra on the side for drizzling.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.

Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Noodles Recipe

Loaded with crunchy veggies, juicy chicken, and a creamy peanut sauce, these Thai-inspired peanut noodles are a meal-in-one that’s ready in 20 minutes flat.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword peanut noodles with chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 443kcal

Ingredients 

½x1x2x3x

• 1 pound linguine noodles
• 4 cups cooked chicken breast , cut into ½-inch pieces
• 4 carrots , peeled and thinly shaved into ribbons
• 3 seedless cucumbers , julienned
• 2 bell peppers , seeded and julienned (red, yellow, or orange)
• 6 green onions , julienned
• ½ bunch cilantro leaves , chopped
• ½ cup chopped peanuts

For the Peanut Dressing

• 4 garlic cloves , minced or pressed
• 2 limes , juiced
• 1-inch knob ginger , peeled and grated
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ⅓ cup water
• 3 tablespoons

  rice vinegar


• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot chile sauce , like Sambal Olek

Instructions

• Prep the noodles. Cook 1 pound linguine noodles according to the package directions. Rinse and set aside.

• Add the chicken and veggies. Add the cooled noodles, 4 cups cooked chicken breast 4 carrots 2 bell peppers 6 green onions ½ bunch cilantro leaves and ½ cup chopped peanuts to a large bowl.

• Make the dressing. Add the 4 garlic cloves 2 limes , 1-inch knob ginger ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ⅓ cup water, 3 tablespoons

  rice vinegar


  , 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon hot chile sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more water as needed to thin out the dressing.

• Combine it all and enjoy. Pour the dressing over the noodles and vegetables and toss to coat. Garnish with the rest of the peanuts and more cilantro and green onions, as desired.

Notes

To store: Leftover peanut noodles will last up to 4 days in the fridge. You can enjoy the noodles cold or reheat them gently in the microwave for 30-second bursts. 

Nutrition

Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 407mg | Potassium: 668mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5006IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg